


Acceptance

by outlawedmelodies



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Emotional Hurt, Eventual Fluff, F/F, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Sexuality Crisis, So beware, including the warning, tags will change as the story updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-04-01 04:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13990794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/outlawedmelodies/pseuds/outlawedmelodies
Summary: It wasn’t like Dela didn’t like her boyfriend. Okay, scratch that. She had no feelings towards him whatsoever. It confused her, honestly. She was always told she’d fall in love with a nice man eventually, but considering this was her fifth relationship with a guy this year that she didn’t have feelings for, the outcome of her finding someone felt slim. So when Dela becomes victim to hate attacks, she can't help but lose hope: until a snarky brunette comes in, saving her time and time again.





	1. Chapter 1

It wasn’t like Dela didn’t like her boyfriend. Okay, scratch that. She had no feelings towards him whatsoever. It confused her, honestly. She was always told she’d fall in love with a nice man eventually, but considering this was her fifth relationship with a guy this year that she didn’t have feelings for, the outcome of her finding someone felt slim. And it wasn’t like she wasn’t trying either! She had spent the last three months dating this guy who was obviously into her, but she just couldn’t reciprocate those feelings.

What’s wrong with me? she questioned, ready to pick up her phone and end yet another failed attempt to be considered normal. Why couldn’t she be normal? Most things about her were considered normal: her curly black hair that fell to her mid-back, her peachy skin that wasn’t too light, but not too dark either, her upbeat and bubbly personality. The only things that weren’t considered normal about her was her problem with men and the small mole by her nose, but she learned to love that part of herself when others didn’t.

After what seemed like forever, she dialed his number, ready to feel more like a freak than she already did. She waited as patiently as she could while the other line beeped, finally letting out a sigh of relief when the other side picked up.

“Hey, Dela. What’s up?” His voice rang loudly, a little bit too loud for Dela’s sake for the moment.

“Uhm, hey, Luke,” she awkwardly started, not sure how to bring up the long awaited topic.

“You okay?” he questioned, his voice becoming slightly softer. “You’re usually not this quiet when we talk.”

Dela sighed. “Yeah… It’s just…” As much as she wanted to finish that sentence, she couldn’t find it in her to say it. She went silent for a bit.

“You don’t like me, do you?” Luke’s voice broke through, startled Dela for a moment.

Dela had no words. She felt embarrassed for once again, ruining a relationship. “I’m sorry… I really am, because you’ve treated me so well since we started dating, but… this just doesn’t feel right and I don’t understand why I feel this why and why I can’t just like you or any other guy I meet.” She immediately stopped after saying that. Oh God. Why did I say that? Why did I just blurt all of that out to him? Why? Why? Why? Why-

The sound of the call dropping made Dela’s heart drop. Oh no.

 

It had been about a week since the incident with Luke and Dela couldn’t help but feel anxious every minute she was awake. Usually, things like this would blow over, but this time, it didn’t. It first started when she woke up in the middle of the night a few days after they broke up, the sound of broken glass shattering in her bedroom. She wasn’t sure what happened, but the fact there was a brick and broken glass a couple feet away from her bed didn’t settle very well with her.

A couple nights later it happened again. In addition to another brick flying through her window, someone was banging on her door at three in the morning. All she was able to do was hide in her bathroom, praying it would stop soon. She listened to their nonsense screaming until one of her neighbors finally called the police and scared the individual off. It wouldn’t be ‘till Dela left for work the next morning before she noticed the outside of her apartment had the word “fag” spray-painted across her door.

The rest of Dela’s day wasn’t complete without some kind of setback. Not only did she have to work two shifts today due to one of her coworkers being sick, but she also had to close shop. Usually, that wouldn’t be a problem, but considering it was dark outside and the fact the night brought a slew of problems to her, she wasn’t very thrilled about it. All she could really hope for was some sort of miracle to be blessed upon her as she walked home.

Locking up the doors, Dela started walking home, being sure to stay aware of her surroundings. Despite the streetlights shining down on the street in front of her, Dela couldn’t help but feel anxious. Maybe I should have drove this morning, she thought. I know it’s just a five minute walk, but I’d kill to be home right now. I could call Jinkx and ask them to pick me up, but… She couldn’t help but walk slightly faster, determined to get home before something happened to her.

It took Dela by surprise when she felt a hand grab her wrist. She was ready to kick, scream, do anything to get whoever it was away from her, but instead of seeing a creepy man by her side, she was greeted by a youthful woman, likely around Dela’s age, with beautiful sandy brown skin, dirty blonde hair, and an aura of attitude and determination. Slightly confused, Dela pulled away from her and paused.

“Girl, what are you doing?” the stranger questioned in a slight Southern accent, her facial expression changing to a mix of utter confusion and urgency. “Keep walking.”

Dela quickly complied, nervously keeping her glance down. After a moment of silence, the stranger whispered, “Now, I don’t know if you know this or not, but there’s a group of guys who have been following you around. I overheard them talking about following you home.” She slightly turned her head to check behind them. “They still are, but they’ve settled back a bit.”

Dela’s head perked up. She peeked behind her as well, noticing there was, in fact, a group of guys behind her. She couldn’t tell who any of them where, but regardless, the thought of her not knowing someone was following her back home was terrifying, especially with there being more than one of them, five, if she counted correctly.

“Oh my goodness,” Dela whispered, finding herself moving closer to the other girl. “T-Thank you. I didn’t know…”

“No problem,” the stranger deadpanned, keeping her sights ahead of them. She took a moment to think, then continued her thought. “Don’t you worry, ‘cause I’m not letting them follow you home.”

Dela smiled slightly. “That’s really nice of you, but um…how are you going to do that?” She didn’t want to question the girl who came to her rescue, she really didn’t. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful or even make the brunette feel like her help was unsolicited. Nervously, her eyes darted towards the stranger’s face, trying to piece together any emotions she showed.

It took Dela by surprise when she saw her smile, pearly white teeth slightly showing through her coco colored lips. “Oh, honey, I have my ways.”

Whoever this girl was, she was confident. A little snarky, pretty hot-headed too, but for the first time all week, Dela couldn’t help but feel safe by her side.


	2. Chapter 2

“Oh honey, I have my ways,” was the last thing Dela remembered hearing before the girl who rescued her tightly grabbed her hand and bolted forward, dragging a very startled and off-guard Dela along with her.

As much as Dela hoped the stranger knew where she was going, she was extremely skeptical. She lead her down many different paths, mainly back alleys and a couple very dark parking lots, even some places she didn’t recognize, but they eventually found themselves running up the stairs of an abandoned apartment complex, attempting to get up to the roof, per request of the dark-skinned stranger.

After a lot struggling and a little bit of luck on Dela’s part, the two reached the top of the building. As soon as Dela found her grounding, she collapsed, struggling to catch her breath. Quickly remembering her breathing exercises, she inhaled, held it for five seconds, and exhaled. She continued to do this until she was able to breathe without gasping for air.

After a moment of silence, Dela spoke: “Well… I guess that’s one way to lose them.“

The stranger let out a hardy laugh, extending a hand to help Dela back up. "Sorry, ‘bout that. I’m not that creative of a person. Just thought this would be the easiest way to lose them.”

Dela took her hand, letting the stranger pull her up. She stumbled into her, causing another laugh from the brunette to ring as she helped steady Dela.

“Jeez, you’re falling for me already and I don’t even know your name.” She chuckled, her lips curling up to a smile.

Dela blushed, causing a shy smile to form on her lips. “Dela. It’s, uh…French.“

"French?” The stranger’s head cocked to the side. “French for what?”

Dela paused, immediately cursing herself for mentioning it. She embarrassedly mumbled, ”…of the.“

The stranger, first confused, immediately let out another laugh. She sure seemed to laugh a lot. “That’s weird, but okay. I’m Shangela. Shangela Laquifa Wadley. Don’t know what it means, but it’s fierce, like me.”

Dela’s smile widened. “Well…thank you, Shangela. For saving me back there. I don’t know what I would have done back there if it weren’t for you.”

"Girl, it was no problem whatsoever. I wasn’t gonna allow some group of men to follow you home. Speaking of them…”

Shangela marched over to the edge of the roof, peering over it before sitting down and gazing down at the dim lights below. After noting the group of men were nowhere in sight, she let out a mocking, “Ha!” She smiled proudly at herself. “Can’t find us now, can they?”

She turned her head to look for Dela, who ended up sitting a bit back, nowhere close to where she was, though. She noted how Dela almost lifelessly stared down, potentially in a contemplative state. After what felt like hours to Shangela, who was tired of all the silence, she called out, “Hey, don’t be a stranger, Miss Dela! I don’t bite.”

Dela’s head jolted up to look at Shangela. She nervously shook her head. “I-I’m fine here, but thank you.”

“You scared of a little height, little Miss Dela?” Shangela questioned, slowly standing up and coming over to Dela’s side.

Dela once again, found herself speechless.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Shangela sat herself down by Dela, staring out towards the dark sky above them.

It wasn’t like Dela to struggle with words. She usually could go on and on about whatever topic, even if she wasn’t interested in it, but for some reason, her mind drew a complete blank. And she hated it. And her face showed it as her lips drooped and her posture tensed. If it was even possible to be personified, Dela was the embodiment of discomfort.

Noticing Dela’s unusual expression, Shangela carefully rested her hand against Dela’s, letting her thumb caress her smooth skin. “It’s okay now. It’s just you and me, girl. No one’s coming for you now.”

Dela froze. For a moment, she had forgotten about everything that happened to her this week. She forgot about the broken windows and the $300 she had to spend to pay for replacements. She forgot about crying in her bathroom as someone yelled and banged on her front door. Most importantly, she forgot about how alienated she felt for leaving another relationship she didn’t even want.

Dela covered her mouth, trying to force herself not to cry, but she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. She hated drama. She hated it. And she did not want to pull Shangela into it, especially as is dawned on Dela why each terrible event kept happening after the other. “They’ll probably be there when I get home. Or whatever’s left of it…” she hiccupped, trying to keep her speech as coherent as possible. "This whole week has been so confusing and scary for me. I’ve had bricks thrown through my window the past few nights, I almost had a break-in the other night, and people have been spray painting slurs on my door-”

“Hold up a second,” Shangela interrupted, her tone quickly developing into a harsher sound. “They’ve been doing what? Oh hell no! I am not allowing that shit to fly by. That is unacceptable-” Shangela stopped for a moment, noticing Dela tensing up even more.

Deciding to lower her voice, Shangela whispered after another long silence, “Okay, what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna go by your place, grab some of your things, and have you stay with me for a few days so this shit can clear out.”

Dela shook her head no, despite knowing she would be dragged into it anyways. She felt very conflicted. On one hand, Dela wanted to go with Shangela. She made her feel safe. She made her forget her stresses. But on the other hand, Dela felt…strange. Strange in a way she hasn’t felt before. And that frightened her even more than everything she’s experienced this week combined.

“Girl, I am not letting you stay in the line of danger. And you know that.” Shangela moved so Dela could see her, even with her head buried in her hands. Tenderly, Shangela took one of Dela’ hands, giving it a light and protective squeeze. “You’re obviously not safe at home, so come with me.”

Dela felt her cheeks burn up, her stomach twirling in ways she didn’t know were possible. She felt herself space out, trying to figure out what was going on with her. What…What am I feeling right now? I don’t…I don’t understand this. Her lips parted slightly, trying to say something, but she couldn’t get the words out.

“Hey, Earth to Dela. Earth to Miss Dela.” Shangela waved a hand in front of her, trying to catch her attention.

Flustered, Dela let her eyes go towards Shangela, her mind racing with multiple questions and no answers whatsoever.

Shangela softly chuckled, tilting her head slightly. “And she finally returns.” Putting her brave and confident face back on, Shangela stood up, once again holding her hand out towards Dela. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”

Gingerly, Dela nodded, taking Shangela’s hand, this time not falling into the other girl. This time, the only other difference was that Shangela didn’t let go of Dela’s hand, and wouldn’t up until they reached Dela’s.


	3. Chapter 3

Dela found herself virtually spaced out on the way home, Shangela having to constantly nudge Dela in order to get her back to reality so she could direct them to Dela’s apartment complex. Dela couldn’t help it; something was wrong with her today. Maybe it was the stress of the past week causing her to lose focus. Or perhaps it was the thought of potentially meeting her stalkers by her home that kept her thoughts elsewhere. But even then, she wasn’t sure if that was the reason for her distracted behavior or not.

Shangela gently nudged Dela’s arm. “Dela, how close are we to your place?” she asked impatiently, probably having asked this same question dozens of times.

Dela took a moment to glance around and refocus her attention to her surroundings. The familiar area caused her to smile slightly. “We’re almost there. I’m on the bottom floor of this next building.” Despite the relief of almost being home, Dela couldn’t help but feel bad for spacing out so much on Shangela, especially considering how much she was willing to help despite the two just meeting each other. Dela only hoped her room would be the same as it was when she left this morning: spray-painted and a mess from the many anxiety-ridden nights.

Approaching Dela’s apartment door, Shangela quickly noticed the bright red spray-painted words across Dela’s door and frowned. “Jesus. Do people really still have hard feelings against gay people? Unbelievable.”

“Yeah…” was all Dela could muster out, once again getting back into her head. She couldn’t help but question herself. Was she gay? Did she actually like girls? Well…she didn’t know. Most people she knew told her they knew they liked the same gender since they were very young, and practically always knew. Dela, on the other hand, had no idea whatsoever. All she knew was that she didn’t like guys. Supposedly.

Noticing Dela’s hesitation, Shangela gently put her hand on Dela’s shoulder. “Hey… I just want you to know that I accept you the way you are. It’s a difficult world for us, y’know? We’re different…but that’s okay. Just keep your head high and you’ll be okay.”

Dela couldn’t help but let a small smile peek out, even though neither of them had a clue about the extent of her feelings. “Thank you…” she whispered, finally getting her keys out of her pockets and unlocking her door. She peered inside, instinctively putting her keys back in her back pocket, and sighed, relieved. “Never thought I’d say this, but I’m glad this place is how I left it.”

The two walked inside, Shangela closing the door behind her and locking it per Dela’s request. Shangela sat down on Dela’s caramel colored couch, her eyes fixated on the messy living room while Dela immediately went to her bedroom, pulling out a big purple suitcase from under her bed.

Shangela listened to the suitcase unzip and closed her eyes, paying attention to Dela’s movements in the other room as she moved back and forth and back and forth to who knows where. After a few minutes of silence, Shangela spoke: “So, Dela, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but like, how do you identify your sexual orientation?”

“Excuse me?” Dela’s voice perked up, a hint of confusion arising in her tone.

“You know, like do you exclusive like girls, or are you bi or pan? Or do they give you shit ‘cause you’re ace? ‘Cause no straight person I know has ever had fa-“ Shangela stopped herself. “Uh…y'know…that painted on their door before.”

“I’m…” Dela took a moment to find the right word. “Questioning.”

“Questioning, huh? Well, I guess that can set ‘em off too.”

“I guess…” Dela uttered uncomfortably. “I’d…rather not talk about it right now.”

“Understood, princess.”

Dela sighed, staring at her half-full suitcase. She had so many things, and not enough space for them all. But then again, she didn’t want to bring every possession she owned to Shangela’s. Like she said, she’d be there for a few days, maybe a week at the most. It’s only until things settle down here. It won’t be that long…

Stepping into her closet, Dela took the time to change from her work clothes into something more comfortable. She pulled out a light pink t-shirt that was slightly baggy on her and a pair of black leggings and changed into them. This wasn’t Dela’s usual go to for clothes, but at this point, she could care less.

“So, uh…what about you?” Dela inquired, the silence bothering her.

“Me?” Shangela asked. “I’m bi, but I have a preference towards the ladies. I can handle them more than I can with men.”

Dela chuckled softly. She didn’t know why she did, but it just…happened. Maybe it was the fact Shangela knew who she was as an individual, or the idea of being so comfortable with your sexuality that fascinated Dela, considering she was now “questioning” hers. Dela liked it when she believed she knew herself. She just hoped the empowering feeling of confidence would return once she figured out this whole sexuality thing.

Dela stepped out of her closet and wandered around her room, organizing the things she decided to keep and shoving the rest in her bag. Slowly, her room became cleaner…and emptier. She dragged her suitcase out to the living room, the purple fabric bulging out in all sorts of places. To say her bag wasn’t packed was…an understatement.

Shangela’s glance went to Dela, then to her suitcase. She didn’t seem very amused. “Jeez, what all is in there? Did you pack the entire house in there?”

Dela nervously chuckled. Kinda. “No…Just the essentials.”

“Sure. “ Shangela eyed Dela suspiciously. “Come on, let’s get this in your car and head on out.”

Dela nodded, leaning down to pick up her suitcase. She held it in her arms as if she held a newborn, close and protectively. Shangela opened the door for her, letting Dela go out first. Luckily, Dela’s vehicle, sat right next to her door. Her vehicle. Which was a 2014 minivan. Shangela noted to make some sort of joke about it at a later point.

“Oh, shit.” Dela uttered. “I can’t reach my keys.”

“Where they at?” Shangela asked. “I’ll get them.”

Dela bit her lip slightly. “No, I can get them, could you just ho-“

“Dela, where are they at?” Shangela impatiently asked.

Dela averted her eyes and mumbled, “Back pocket. On the right.”

She felt her face flush. Thank God for it being dark out. It was… embarrassing to say the least. Sure, moments like these have happened before, but it was with people she knew. Additionally, considering the fact she had spent the past several hours questioning whether or not she liked girls or not did not help her judgement as she felt Shangela’s hand slide into her back pocket and quickly pull out her keys. You’re overthinking this, Dela and you know it. This is nothing. It means nothing and don’t you dare try convincing yourself it’s something because it’s not.

Shangela unlocked Dela’s car door, making sure the back door also opened so Dela could put her luggage in. As soon as Dela dropped off her suitcase, Shangela handed Dela her keys, a sly smile on her face. She said nothing, but Shangela’s expression said a million words. Was she…flirting with me? No. Dela. It’s nothing. You’re just overthinking things because you’re stressed. Once you sleep things will be better. Hopefully.

“You have everything?” Shangela asked.

“I think I have everything, but let me double check.” Dela headed back to her apartment, Shangela following behind. Shangela stopped by the front door while Dela continued on into her bedroom.

“Okay, so I have my clothes…shoes…phone and its charger…That should be-“ She stopped and stared straight at her desk. At the huge tank. With her two turtles. Who were both peacefully sleeping at the bottom of the tank.

“Hey, uh, Shangela, could you help me?” Dela called out, disappointed in the fact she almost left her two babies behind. Sure, they can go a while without food, but how long was she going to be gone, exactly? And what if someone broke in and hurt them? Dela wouldn’t be able to forgive herself for leaving them behind, knowing how dangerous it was for her to stay here.

“Yeah sure, what’s-“ Shangela stopped in the doorway, immediately noticing the huge tank on Dela’s desk. “You have… pet turtles?”

Dela nervously smiled. “I need help moving their tank.”

Shangela frowned. “Can’t you ask someone to look after them for a week? It won’t be that long.”

Dela stubbornly shook her head, her eyes full of concern and her lips pouting. “No one else has a tank for them! And I don’t want to leave them here when someone could come on by and try and hurt them. Please, Shangela?”

Shangela looked at Dela. Usually, she was able to resist people’s pouting faces, but she couldn’t help but give in to Dela and the love she had for her two turtles. She reluctivity sighed. “Fine, let’s empty the tank and get it in the car.”

And after a good half an hour of carefully dumping out the water and even more carefully getting the tank out of the apartment and into the floor of Dela’s back seat, they were finally ready to leave Dela’s.

Dela ran back to her apartment, double checking if she locked her door while Shangela chilled in the front passenger seat. She messed around with the radio, trying to find a station with some decent music to listen to for the ride, but found herself interrupted by a loud and high-pitched scream: Dela’s.


End file.
